Top chess player Sara Khadem is now living in southern Spain after being unable to return to Iran
(Picture: REUTERS)An Iranian chess player is living in exile in southern Spain after she competed in an international tournament without a headscarf.
Sara Khadem, also known as Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, is one of the latest sportswomen to appear at a competition without the Muslim head covering since anti-government protests erupted last September.
She appeared in photos without her hijab, which is mandatory under Iran’s strict dress code, as she competed at the International Chess Federation’s world rapid and blitz championships in Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan, last December.
She can’t return to Iran as there are arrest papers waiting for her there.
The 25-year-old player is ranked number 804 in the world and is the 10th best in Iran, according to the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
Ms Khadem is now living in Spain with her husband and one-year-old son after she and her family earned a golden visa by buying a property valued at half a million euros (£442,000).
Speaking to the BBC, Ms Khadem said she has no regrets about the decision despite her situation.
She said: “I miss my family, but I would not say I regret the decision. I still represent Iran, and I am Iranian, and the people of Iran still see me as Iranian.”
“I’m not an activist, and I don’t have any messages for people risking so much. The people who are protesting in the streets are inspiring to me and so many others.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez invited Ms Khadem to meet him but she said the day turned out to be bittersweet.
“It was on that day that I was issued with arrest orders at home. So I had mixed feelings: I was appreciated in this country – and in my own country, where you have achieved lots of success, you get arrest papers.”
The death of Mahsa Amini, 22, last September – after being detained by police in Tehran for allegedly not adhering to the Islamic dress code – triggered protests across the world.
The unrest resulted in a number of Iranian women competing overseas without their headscarves.
